From my friend, Lee Arnold:
For decades the July 4th celebration in D.C. was a non-partisan event honoring our freedom and patriotism. Not a celebration of military might and WAR. Not a tax payer event, but something for all Americans. THEN CAME IL DUCE-BAG.
It’s unclear how much the “Salute to America” celebration will cost taxpayers, and the Department of the Interior declined a request from the Post to comment on the cost of the event. Whatever the price tag, it will come at the expense of America’s national parks, which are already severely underfunded.
Trump's idea of celebrating Independence Day is to force tanks, guns, and rockets into the holiday, making it look like a tinpot dictator's military observance of power and might.
This is not how America honors our independence from a represssive king.
Shame on Trump for spoiling and defiling an all-American holiday with symbols of war and destruction, all with the blessing of the GOP.
He has stolen a national holiday that in the past celebrated our independence - to one that glorifies war and killing - and his ego -- just another campaign rally to preach that gospel of hate and fear and division on the country's dime.
Hey Congress, you good with Trump letting the RNC hand out VIP tickets to a taxpayer-funded event as a reward for big campaign donors? Are we the country that lets a politician use the military as a fundraising prop for his reelection?
In the Age of Trump, yes we are.
This is Trump's vision for America: Concentration-style camps at the border.
How can America be proud on its birthday when America is doing this to human beings?
"In the wake of at least five children dying in US government custody, two nurses told BuzzFeed News immigration agents have delayed taking sick children in increasingly dire condition to a hospital near the border for treatment, putting the kids at risk of potentially severe health issues.
The two registered nurses, who have treated immigrant children at a hospital in the Rio Grande Valley, said young patients arriving in recent months are often in such poor health that they're "on the borderline" of medical staff needing to call a specialized rapid response team of doctors to prevent them from going into respiratory or cardiac arrest."
20 comments:
The Post front page has the National Park Service diverting $2.5 million for the celebration of trump. Go and read the letters to the editor in the Post today. Lots of angry Americans on the hijacking of the 4th. Living in the DC area, I know of no one that will be setting foot on the Mall this year.
Possumlady
Dear Possumlady, Unfortunately, TrumpCultists don't see this for what it is: A wannabe dictator showing off to the world. The 4th of July was always a family day of cookouts, hot dogs, ice cream and hometown parades.
The disgusting Trump has made it about himself. Using federal funds for a campaign rally on the National Mall.
We Americans will not forget what he's done.
Happy Birthday, America! Proud of yourself?
Trump puts babies and children in concentration camps.
migrant children are being held away from their families in conditions “worse than jail,” according to physician Dolly Lucio Sevier, who wrote up a medical declaration obtained by ABC News after visiting Border Patrol holding facilities along the border in Texas. Here’s everything we’ve learned about conditions in the detention camps in recent weeks.
Conditions in a McAllen, Texas Facility “Could Be Compared to Torture Facilities”
Sevier, a private-practice physician in the Rio Grande Valley, was granted access to a facility in McAllen, Texas in mid-June, after attorneys discovered a flu outbreak that sent five infants to a neonatal intensive-care unit. At the detention center — the largest such Border Patrol facility in the country — Sevier examined 39 children under the age of 18 facing conditions including “extreme cold temperatures, lights on 24 hours a day, no adequate access to medical care, basic sanitation, water, or adequate food.” All 39 exhibited signs of trauma.
Sevier told ABC News that the teenagers she observed were not able to wash their hands while in custody, which she called “tantamount to intentionally causing the spread of disease.”
Maybe we're in too much of a lather on this. What Trump is doing is not much different than GOP Admins have done fro years, wrapping themselves in the flag, patriotism and God. This is just taking it to the nth degree.
The liberal press will excoriate him mercilessly and the GOP partisans will walk away wondering why liberal can't outwardly show a little traditional red, white and blue patriotism. Is it too much to ask they will wonder, for Americans to celebrate the founding of our country, and the military that keeps us free?
I get all the angst, the optics and the disgust, but the Dems and the media should tread lightly here. Those folks in rural Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Pennsylvania will all be watching those DC celebrations with at least some level of pride.
"non-partisan event honoring our freedom and patriotism"
It is because of our military that we have freedom so why not celebrate them. It seems to be the democrats who are the ones complaining so what we need to do is bus a few thousand illegals up from the border and all would be well.
skudrunner, it's clear to everyone who visits here that you excuse anything Trump does.
America doesn't do military parades on the 4th. Authoritarians, dictators, strongmen do this sort of thing every chance they get. What don't you understand about that? Our military has Nov. 11 and Memorial Day to honor it. July 4th is for family picnics, fireworks, hometown parades.
Trump has made this about HIM. He'll be giving a campaign speech and he's giving out special passes to the RNC to invite their chosen people paid for by the American people: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, GrrenPeace, Socialist Party, EVERYONE, but ONLY his favored lackeys get the tickets.
As I said, you excuse and justify anything and everything this execrable man does. And that is shameful.
Dave: "I get all the angst, the optics and the disgust, but the Dems and the media should tread lightly here. Those folks in rural Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Pennsylvania will all be watching those DC celebrations with at least some level of pride."
Here's why we, everyone who isn't a Trump supporter, and that's a majority, are upset over Trump militarizing July 4th:
Military parades outside of holidays such as Veterans Day, the Fourth of July or Memorial Day aren't typical in this country in recent decades, but there is a history of them.
Most recently, in 1991 more than 8,000 troops marched down Washington D.C.'s Constitution Avenue in a victory parade celebrating the end of the Persian Gulf War. Stealth fighter planes passed overhead while tanks and Patriot missiles rolled by a crowd of 200,000, according to William J. Eaton and Beth Hawkins of the Los Angeles Times. The attendance was below the 1 million-plus spectators predicted to turn out to view the $12 million event. But by that evening's fireworks display, the turnout swelled to 800,000.
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“If the message is: ‘I want to express how much I honor our military,’ that’s a wonderful thing,” Michael Beschloss, presidential historian, told Michael D. Shear of The New York Times in September, when President Trump previously spoke about his desire for a Fourth of July parade of military strength. And according to a statement by press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House is billing the proposed parade as a "celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation." However, Bescholls also cautions that military parades can serve other purposes. “If the idea is to mimic other countries’ military might, I don’t think that’s a great idea,” he said.
In 2009, Time reporter Ishaan Tharoor's observed a parade marking 60 years of communist rule in China and wrote: "some of the strict measures applied to troops marching in Beijing on Oct. 1 — like the precisely prescribed distance between an infantryman's nose and that of his colleagues on either side — can be traced to the diktats of Prussian tacticians," He then pointed out that military rallies and parades are common in totalitarian states and quoted George Orwell's essay penned during the Blitz of 1941: "Why is the goose-step not used in England? There are, heaven knows, plenty of army officers who would be only too glad to introduce some such thing. It is not used because the people in the street would laugh. Beyond a certain point, military display is only possible in countries where the common people dare not laugh at the army."
It's not just the military parade that people are upset with, it's Trump's giving a speech and giving out special tickets via the RNC for their people.
Trump is making the day about himself. That's what is the most shameful part of this.
Meanwhile, what's going on at the border is a disgrace to America. A little humility by Trump would have been in order, but that's like expecting him to show some human decency. We'll never see that either.
"This looks like it’s becoming much more of a Republican Party event — a political event about the president — than a national celebration of the Fourth of July, and it’s unfortunate to have the military smack dab in the middle of that,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. David Barno, who commanded U.S. troops in Afghanistan under President George W. Bush.
“The president is using the armed forces in a political ploy for his reelection campaign and I think it’s absolutely obscene,” added retired Army Maj. Gen. William Nash, a veteran of Vietnam, the Gulf War and peacekeeping operations in the Balkans.
May I point out to everyone Trumps gargantuan hypocrisy when he pretends to "love" the military:
First, he declined to serve his country, and bragged that avoiding getting STDs during the Vietnam war was HIS "Vietnam." Disgusting.
Second: He has insulted, mocked, and demeaned a real military hero: John McCain. If Trump truly "loved" the military, he would NEVER have denigrated McCain the way he did and STILL does months after he was buried.
Trump is a phony and is using the military for his re-election campaign.
A few Letters to the editor from today’s Washington Post:
By Letters to the Editor
July 2 at 5:39 PM
How should Americans react to The Post’s July 2 front-page article “President urges tanks on the Mall for July 4”?
Not only is President Trump trying to turn the perennial “People’s Fourth” into an exercise in narcissism, but also he is seeking to militarize what has been a celebration of the strength of community and family. To make matters worse, he is destroying the unity and equality of the crowd by setting up a reserved section for his cronies and supporters. No decent American should accept a ticket to this travesty. After debasing the presidency, Mr. Trump is now desecrating the Fourth of July.
Dick Klass, Arlington
The last time I saw tanks as outdoor displays was January in Cuba. They were symbols of Fidel Castro’s victory and eventual ascent to tyranny. This same symbol is now being sought to celebrate the United States’ escape from tyranny. It seems autocratic to rip a national holiday from our National Park Service, a symbol of our democracy, and transform it into a personalized display of power and authority. It seems tyrannical to ignore budgets and burden Americans with the high costs of such extravagance.
Keep Reading
The National Park Service already has an $11 billion backlog in maintenance. Ultimately, U.S. citizens will pay the price of putting tanks on the Mall. Not long ago, millions of dollars were spent to restore and protect the fragile turf of the Mall from the wear and tear of thousands of people. Imagine how many millions more would be required to restore the Mall’s fragile turf from 60-ton tanks. Tanks are symbols of war. The Fourth of July is supposed to be a family celebration with hot dogs and ice cream.
Lisa Wilcox Deyo, Bethesda
President Trump has made the Fourth of July his own. The June 29 front-page article “Trump plans VIP area for Fourth of July event” advised that there will be a VIP section at the Lincoln Memorial location of his speech accessible “only through tickets distributed by the White House.” This seating “will stretch roughly from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the midpoint of the reflecting pool.” It is “still unclear” how this arrangement will affect the access and sightline for everyone else. In reality, the arrangements as released make such disclosure rather clear.
Stephen W. Grafman, Potomac
Patriotic Americans who fought totalitarianism are aghast that our president has abandoned any pretense of holding dear the ideals for which they risked all.
Our president cuddles up to murderous dictators whom he calls strong. He takes the word of Russian President Vladimir Putin over his professional intelligence community. He expresses love for venal North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He lauds Mohammed bin Salman, accused by U.S. intelligence services of ordering the murder of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Americans fought for freedom, liberty and justice. They did not fight for the Dow Jones industrial average or a business deal. The Founding Fathers enshrined freedom of the press in the Constitution. Our president openly derides the free press as the enemy of the people.
Later this week he will impinge his narcissistic self on the celebration of America’s most patriotic holiday. This is a day for all Americans to recognize the blessings of freedom. It is a day when every U.S. Embassy in the world will invite members of their host country to celebrate the 243rd birthday of the land of the free and the home of the brave. The Fourth of July is not now nor ever has been a day to celebrate a president.
Gerald S. "Jerry" Rose, Falls Church
Possumlady
I think it's like this. Nothing Shaw has said is untrue. But that's not gonna matter to a large group of voters Dems are gonna need to defeat Trump in 2020.
Dems, and the yes, the mostly liberal media, are, in my opinion, overplaying their hand. Why needlessly mock this? Especially before hand? No one has any idea what Pres Trump will say on the 4th. What will folks say if he gives a great speech? The chattering classes will look like pure partisans.
Best to hold their fire and ire until it's over and then comment.
Or risk being branded as un-patriotic.
Dave you are far more generous toward Trump than I am.
I take into account his all behavior over the past 2 1/2 years as president, and I really can't find any benefit of the doubt to give him for this upcoming. I cannot respect a president who has constantly attacked the free press as "the enemy of the people," a president who still insults and demeans a military hero (I didn't support McCain for president, but I respect his service and his suffering for our country), a president who has only nice words for the leader of Russia, a country that interfered in our 2016 election, and IMO helped elect Trump, a president who has this to answer for: “If we had confidence that the president did not commit a crime we would have said so.”
Will Trump give a nice speech? If he does, we know damn well it will be someone else's words, since he can barely form coherent sentences, and he knows little to nothing about our history or how our government works. Unlike other presidents who could speak without having other people's words fed to them, Trump oratorical skills are wretched -- unless he's calling people childish names or outright lying.
Possumlady,
Those letters are from locals who've experienced nonTrumpian July fourths. I agree with all of the letter writers.
Thanks for posting them.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY to Possumlady, Dave Miller, skudrunner, and Superatingman!
Thanks and Happy 4th to you, Shaw!
I just have to include another Letter to the Editor from last week:
I was delighted to see Margaret Sullivan’s June 23 Local Opinions essay, “The people’s birthday party,” describing the turning of the Fourth of July celebration on the Mall into a political event. As an 82-year-old native Washingtonian, I have been seething for weeks that this could be happening.
In the 1940s, my father would drive us in the family 1939 DeSoto sedan “as close as we can get” to the Mall. We’d park and walk however many blocks to get there. In the 1950s, it was the highlight of my teenage years to take a D.C. Transit (long before Metro) bus with friends to the Mall each July 4. And I loved watching my children continuing the tradition in the 1980s and 1990s. In those years, there was never a hint of anything political. It was just our beloved city hosting a birthday party for the nation, which we did with pride.
It breaks my heart that the tradition will be broken this year.
Claire O'Dwyer Randall, Springfield
Possumlady
Look... it's all a terrible idea, it's gonna be over the top, we're gonna hear about how it was 100% political given the reserved GOP Donor seats, etc., etc.
And millions of Americans will like it. The ratings will be off the charts, and DJT will claim, regardless of the truth, that this was the bestest attended, biggest, baddest celebration of America in history.
Happy 4th of July to all the regulars... be safe and sane tomorrow. I'll be flying across Mexico.
Safe Journeys, Dave.
Thanks again, Possumlady! That was poignant.
I'm wondering if he shows up in uniform with a chest full of medals.
But the Pentagon has promised to pay for damge by the tanks.
skudrunner... simply put Trump is politicizing the military for pure political purposes he believes will benefit him. Think reelection and know he is playing to his hard core base of so called conservatives. That is something no former president has done to my knowledge.
In our democratic republic the military is supposed to be apolitical. Until tRump.
The only thing missing are US troops doing the goose step....
It could be next BB if Dotard decides that is cool. He just might. Given he has so much in common with tyrants and dictators.
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